Christmas is not Christian

(GB Message)

Even knowledgeable theologians rarely write on this subject. Perhaps they feel that people may be so shocked as to throw away the articles even before they read them, besides forming an impression that the writer represents a cult. Such prejudice might affect their entire ministry, which is God-given. Their concern is justified because their ministry should not be jeopardized. I have ventured to take this risk in writing this because I am not known widely and so there is no danger of my ministry being affected in any way. Once anyone patiently reads and understands the contents, they would realize that the facts presented are true and accurately based on scripture.

As I completed this analysis for the glory of Lord Jesus, a mixed feeling engulfed my mind:
Relief that by the grace of God I could record in writing what was weighing on my mind over two decades
Inward anguish for the fate of innumerable common people going about happily and carefree who cannot distinguish between Satan and Jesus Christ, without the aid of an anointed church, considering that Satan, our formidable foe, has thus bewitched the whole world making them believe that he is an angel of light, besides using a large number of his servants (who were all originally nominal Christians but subsequently turned to be the devil’s disciples) and church establishments, making them all pass for servants of righteousness. And no wonder! For Satan himself comes as an angel of light. Therefore it is no great thing if his ministers also transform themselves into ministers of righteousness, whose end will be according to their works. (2 Cor 11:14-15).

To some readers this may be a fresh revelation. Let them thank the Lord for this ray of light and use it as a vital lesson for future guidance. Praise be unto Lord Jesus Christ, Amen. (This information is for Christians who are spiritually growing, and will not serve any useful purpose in the hearts of nominal Christians or for those who are not spiritually growing.)

Christmas is not a biblical word. I am not raising this concern in a fanatical way, as some object to the use of words like Trinity, rapture and the like because they are not in the Bible. I wish to show that not only is the word not in the Bible, but that the way Christmas is celebrated is blasphemous.

Reason 1: Knowing Christ in the flesh
There is a specific command in 2 Cor 5:16. “Therefore, from now on, we regard no one according to the flesh. Even though we have known Christ according to the flesh, yet now we know Him thus no longer.” Those who believe this and other instructions in the Bible are ordinary human beings who have nevertheless been transformed into new beings whose inheritance is God’s Kingdom of heaven, now invisible but in fact more real than this earth, which is doomed to turn into ashes. That is why the word of God states, “Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new. Now all things are of God”, 2 Cor 5: 17, 18.

For Jesus, the Second Person of the Godhead to come to earth as a human baby was a demeaning act that He undertook in obedience to the Father and out of love for mankind. But for us who have been transformed and become a new creation, to visualize God Incarnate as a small helpless babe is not something that gives us pleasure.

Martin Luther in the Reformed Lutheran Church made a slight compromise over the Christmas celebration of the Roman Catholics by making it a very devotional celebration on the evening of 24th December and wrote an order of service, also very devotional. But it is nevertheless a compromise.

Reason 2: Worshipping in spirit and truth
The Lord Himself made a glorious announcement: “But the hour is coming, and now is, when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth; for the Father is seeking such to worship Him. God is Spirit, and those who worship Him must worship in spirit and truth.” (John 4:23-24)

Reason 3: Sacred remembrance of His death is commanded
Nowhere in the Bible is there any instruction whatsoever that His birth should be commemorated or celebrated. On the other hand, there is specific instruction that His death should be proclaimed in a very special way not as a celebration in the sense of a festival but as a sacred remembrance. “For as often as you eat this bread and drink this cup, you proclaim the Lord’s death till He comes”, 1 Cor 11: 26. Also, “This cup is the new covenant in My blood. This do as often as you, in remembrance of Me”, 1 Cor 11: 24, 25.

Reason 4: To love Him is to keep His commandments
Adoring the Christmas Babe in a sentimental way is not loving Him. Rather, to keep His commandments is what it means to love Him. “As the Father loved Me, I have also loved you; abide in My love. If you keep My commandments, you will abide in My love, just as I have kept My Father’s commandments and abide in His love”, Jn 15: 9, 10.

Reason 5: To love Him is to do His work
Loving Him is doing His ministry and not celebrating Christmas. And he (Peter) said to Him, “Lord, You know all things; You know that I love you, (then) Jesus said to him, ‘Feed My sheep’ ” Jn 21.17.

Reason 6: Where are the celebraters the rest of the year?
Where is the motley crowd of people who celebrate Christmas on 25th December, making the Church premises ‘Housefull’, during the subsequent weeks? Why are most of the pews empty afterwards? Are they really God-fearing people?

Reason 7: Church did not support Christmas during many periods
Christmas was not among the earliest festivals of the Church, and before 5th century there was no general consensus of opinion even as to the date.

In the Puritanic England the observation of Christmas was forbidden by an act of Parliament in 1664; (However) Charles II revived the feast (in order to please the influential non Puritanic liberal Christians in the Parliament).
Ref: Encyclopedia Britannica vol. 5 p. 642.

Reason 8 One among many unbiblical practices introduced
I feel as if the festival was begun by the devil to insult and make fun of Lord Jesus, by using the very people He loves. The devil used the Roman Catholic church to introduce several unbiblical and abominable practices and teachings, some of which are followed by other denominational churches as well.

• Innumerable temples for Virgin Mary all over the world where Virgin Mary is said to have appeared.
• Miraculous healing and prosperity stated to have been granted at these temples.
• Temples for “infant Jesus”
• Establishment of a supreme head of the church contrary to the spirit of the Bible teaching
• Shedding the blood of innumerable saints (drunk with the blood of the saints, Rev 17:6)
• Teaching that the mediator between God and man is Mary in direct contradiction to 1 Tim 2: 5
• Creation of many unbiblical titles like Rev., Rt. Rev., Most Rev., etc.
• Innumerable idols inside and outside the church premises.
• Reviving the O.T. ecclesiastical gowns and building of altars in the church building.
• Selling tickets in advance for forgiveness of all kinds of sin, although the practice stopped after the Reformation Movement.
• Creation of the concept of Immaculate Mary whereas according to the Bible Mary was not sinless or a virgin after Jesus was born; she and her husband had children after she gave birth to the divine Baby Jesus. (Mt 12: 46; Mk 3: 31; Lk 8: 19)

Reason 9: Christmas in exchange for pagan festivals
“When missionaries were sent from Rome to the outlying provinces in 601, the instructions given by Pope Gregory I made clear the polices of the Church: “Let the shrines of idols by no means be destroyed but let the idols which are in them be destroyed………And because they were wont (accustomed) to sacrifice…to devils, some celebration should be given in exchange for this….they should celebrate a religious feast (festivals)”. Thus the Christmas celebration was introduced.

“But as Christianity spread among the people of pagan lands, many of the (pagan) practices of the winter solstice were blended with those of Christianity because the liberal ruling of Pope Gregory I, the Great, and the cooperation of (Catholic) missionaries.”
Ref: Encyclopedia Britannica, v. 5 p. 643.

Reason 10: Pagan origin of Christmas decorations
“Many customs besides those of light and fire date back in some way to these pre-Christian origins, among them Xmas decorations. “It is generally believed that the first Christmas tree was of German origin dating from Boniface, English missionary to Germany in the 8th Century, who replaced the sacrifices to Oding’s sacred Oak by a fir tree adorned in tribute to the Christ child”.
Ref: Encyclopedia Britannica, v. 5 p. 643.

Reason 11: Christmas cards not accepted by churches
“The practice of sending Christmas cards was frowned upon by Baptists, Methodists (then predominant Evangelical churches in the world), Mennonites, Amish and Lutherans until 1900. Roman Catholics and Protestant Episcopalians were the first to adopt the custom.”
Ref: Encyclopedia Britannica, v. 5 p. 644 A.

Reason 12: Sentimentality relationships
Christ never encouraged sentimentality and sentimental relationships. Accounts of various occasions in the New Testament show Lord Jesus maintaining Himself as One sent by God His Father for a specific mission, and distancing Himself from human relationships. Nevertheless He was always kind and friendly to all. Everyone without exception addressed Him as Rabbi only.

He was friendly with the family of Mary, Martha, and Lazerus. However when once Martha prepared a special feast for Lord Jesus, He didn’t give any importance to that activity as much as He did to Mary’s eagerness to listen to His teaching sitting at His feet. Now it happened as they went that He entered a certain village; and a certain woman named Martha welcomed Him into her house. And she had a sister called Mary, who also sat at Jesus’ feet and heard His word. But Martha was distracted with much serving, and she approached Him and said, “Lord, do You not care that my sister has left me to serve alone? Therefore tell her to help me.” And Jesus answered and said to her, “Martha, Martha, you are worried and troubled about many things. But one thing is needed, and Mary has chosen that good part, which will not be taken away from her.” Luke 10:38-42

One day, members of Jesus’ earthly family came to see Him. The people around Lord Jesus Christ perhaps expected that He would hurriedly leave the meeting to see them. Notice how He clearly shows them what is more important to Him than earthly human relationships. Then His brothers and His mother came, and standing outside they sent to Him, calling Him. And a multitude was sitting around Him; and they said to Him, “Look, Your mother and Your brothers are outside seeking You.” But He answered them, saying, “Who is My mother, or My brothers?” And He looked around in a circle at those who sat about Him, and said, “Here are My mother and My brothers! For whoever does the will of God is My brother and My sister and mother.” Mark 3:31-35

Here is another example: Both Jesus and His disciples had been invited to a wedding. And when they ran out of wine, the mother of Jesus said to Him, “They have no wine.” Jesus said to her, “Woman, what does your concern have to do with Me? My hour has not yet come.” John 2:3-4 He addresses His mother as “Woman”. According to John MacArthur, this term is “not necessarily impolite, but it does have the effect of distancing Jesus from His mother and her request.”

Lord Jesus had a specific mission in this earth—committing Himself for the atoning sacrifice for mankind. “Therefore in all things He had to be made like His brethren, that He might be a merciful and faithful High Priest in things pertaining to God, to make propitiation for the sins of the people”, Heb 2: 17. Nevertheless His kingdom is not of this world, Jn 18: 36. Let us therefore not succumb to the temptation of adoring Him as a human baby, although He was indeed born so, and we are grateful to Him for it.

In another instance it is stated that one of the women in the crowd raised her voice, and said to Him, “Blessed is the womb that bore You, and the breasts and which You nursed” Lk 11: 27. At that He didn’t behave like other human beings might have done, thanking the speaker for her complements. But it is stated that He responded curtly, “On the contrary, blessed are those who have the word of God, and observe it” Lk 11: 28. Thus He never encouraged sentimental adoration, but desired inward spirituality.

That is why He declared, “Not everyone who says to Me, ‘Lord, Lord, shall enter the kingdom of human, but he who does the will of My Father in heaven’ “, Mt 7: 21.

This is the Jesus that we read about in the word of God. He would never ever accept people adoring Him as ‘baby Jesus’ in the cradle and much less the type of Christmas festivities that are carried out world over, with all the fun and frolic and feasting.

What about Easter?
Incidentally let us understand that Easter is another heathen celebration. The apostles never knew the meaning of Easter. “The religious ceremonies of the Roman Catholic Church and of the Eastern Church in honour of Easter Sunday….were always elaborate”.
“At first in the U.S. . . . Easter was not observed. It was not until the latter part of the 19th century … that the Protestant churches, other than Lutheran and Episcopalian, began to mark this day by special services.”
“In A.D. 325 Constantine convened the Niacean council, where the decision was that Easter should be served on the first Sunday after the full moon following the vernal equinox, to be fixed each year at Alexandria, then the centre of astronomical science”.
“The English word “Easter….corresponded to the German Oster, reveals Christianity’s indebtedness to the Teutonic tribes of central Europe. Christianity when it reached the Teutons, incorporated, in its celebration of the great Christian feast day, many of the heathen rites and customs.”
Ref: Encyclopedia Britannica vol7 p. 859.

Let us be careful to avoid getting involved or contaminated by heathen practices.

Conclusion
We recall at this juncture the great saying of God through Moses, “Surely I have taught you statutes and judgements, just as the Lord my God commanded me, that you should act according to them in the land which you go to possess. Therefore be careful to observe them; for this is your wisdom and your understanding in the sight of the peoples…” (Deut 4:5, 6).

Moses reiterates this in the very next chapter saying, “Therefore you shall be careful to do as the Lord your God has commanded you; you shall not turn aside to the right hand or to the left. You shall walk in all the ways which the Lord your God has commanded you….”, (Deut 5: 32, 33).

But we all know that Israel again erred by adopting the heathen practices and brought upon themselves curses from God. We, in the new dispensation have not done any better than them. We all know how much the Churches have deviated from New Testament laws of God. Let us beware of Satanic activities “for the devil has come down to you, having great wrath, because he knows that he has a short time”, (Rev 12:12). Let us be careful to see that none of us ever come under the situation described here: “. . . whose minds the god of this age has blinded, who do not believe lest the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ…should shine on them”, (2 Cor 4: 4).

Since it is the word of God that is going to judge us in the final judgement (“the word that I have spoken will judge him in the last day”, Jn 12: 48), let us not give room for Satan who constantly induces believers to violate His word in innumerable ways. Let us be careful to build our house on the rock and not on the sand.